Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!linus!security!rpg From: rpg@security.uucp (Robert P. Goldsmith) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: VGA board <-> Multiscan Monitor Cable Adapters Message-ID: <29873@linus.UUCP> Date: 21 Apr 88 14:26:59 GMT Sender: news@linus.UUCP Reply-To: rpg@security.UUCP (Robert P. Goldsmith) Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford MA Lines: 64 I recently bought a Taxan Multivision (770+) monitor to run with my Paradise VGA+ graphics board. Like MANY multi-scan monitors (the old NEC Multisyncs, for example), the Multivision has a 9-pin connector for video input, while the VGA board has a 15-pin connector for output. It is not hard to find an adapter cable for the NEC, but the Taxan (and others) uses slightly different pin assignments than the NEC. I found getting a ready-made cable for my Taxan difficult and expensive (see flame at the end). For the Taxan (and I suspect, several others), you can make a small change to the NEC adapter so that it will support Taxan. 10 minutes with a soldering iron to swap the leads for pins 4 and 5 and you have a Taxan adapter cable. My thanks to Taxan's technical support for this tip. VGA - Monitor Pin Assignments Taxan OVGA Monitor Monitor Function Pin Pin Function (Analog Signal) -------- --- --- ----------- Red Video 1 1 Red Video Green Video 2 2 Green Video Blue Video 3 3 Blue Video Monitor Id Bit 2 4 - not used - 5 Red Ground 6 6 Red Ground Green Ground 7 7 Green Ground Blue Ground 8 8 Blue Ground Key (no pin) 9 Synch Ground 10 9 Synch Ground Monitor Id Bit 0 11 Monitor Id Bit 1 12 Horizontal Synch 13 4 Hor/Vert Synch Vertical Synch 14 5 Mode Select - not used - 15 On the NEC adapter, pins 4 and are reversed. I bought the monitor from 47th St Computer mail order. I told the salesman that I wanted to connect it to the Paradise VGA+ board (which they also sell) and that I wanted to be sure the monitor had the right cable. He said the cable was included. It wasn't. It turns out 47th St Mail Order doesn't even sell the necessary cable The 47th St *stores* sell it, and they refused to let me buy one through the mail ("You have to get it through our mail order division"). I've never had a problem with these folks before, but this is outrageous. Thumbs down to the Mail Order Division for feeling free to sell monitors and boards, but not stocking the necessary parts to connect them. Thumbs down to the Retail Division for refusing to sell the cable through the mail. and Two thumbs down for 47th St management for letting their two divisions play these kinds of games. BTW, the Taxan got nice reviews in both BYTE and PC Magazine. I am very pleased with the monitor itself.